Once Again
by ToBeRescued
Summary: UPDATED Chapter 5 is up! The Kingdom of Hyrule is on the brink of fullscale war, and has no real leader to take on the looming enemy. Takes place after OOT. All reviews accepted, and please, constructively criticize me.
1. Prologue

AN: Hello there. This wouldbe a prologue, to a story. A story that I have thought out, but not yet written. So read this, and enjoy. Oh yes....I don't own anything related to Zelda OOT, except for characters I obviously made up. I know that's not specific, but don't sue me. It'll do. Now....read...the thing.

---Prologue---

A city in flames.

Women huddled in corners hoping for mercy.

There would be none.

Men grabbed what arms they could find and made an attempt at a memorable ending.

It would be remembered.

But for all the wrong reasons.

Evil had come.

The screams of agony could be heard for miles.

Hope that someone would hear. A passer-by. A warrior. A hero.

Somewhere, someone or something might have heard them.

The men dying by the gate gaze longingly into the vast expanse of Hyrule field, half-expecting to see a man clothed in white.

Half-expecting a miracle. A savior. A hero.

But none came.

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AN: Well that would be my prologue. R&R me, cap'n, if your name happens to be cap'n. And if not, R&R me anyways. I love feedback.

HUZZAH!

-Me


	2. Chapter 1: Those who endure

Now here's a sentence you've never seen before. I don't own places in hyrule, characters from the game, or even storyline points from the game. I made up a bunch of the characters, and it should be clear who they are. thank you come again. w00t.

Chapter 1

If you happened to walk past the village on Lake Hylia, you would think nothing of it.

A small, busy town on the edge of a lake. However, if you were to move in and spend some time with the people of Lakeland (what they have called themselves), you would see in no time that this was not an ordinary town at all, but more of a self-existing community. For now, I leave you with a young girl, around the age of 10, making her way down to the water's edge...

"Miriam, where are you going?" a worried voice cried out over the bickering of three small children.

"Just to the beach to check the traps mom, goodness! It's not like I could wander off and get lost, even if I wanted to!"

"Fine, just come back inside as soon as you can. I need your help..." she stopped, looking around the small cottage, "with everything!"

Nine houses made up this small community, all masterfully designed and constructed. The people were lucky that carpentry was one of Kakariko's chief careers. Yes, I did say Kakariko. These self-sufficient people haven't resided here their whole lives. They come from a town across Hyrule that no longer exists, except in the memories of these Survivors. Survivors of one of the most devastating attacks that village had ever sustained. The people were driven out by magicians and creeps, strange creatures that had never been seen in Hyrule before. The escapees ran along Hyrule field until they came to this strange lake that has become home to them for 12 years. This would seem like not so bad of a situation, but for the fact that they were trapped there by a wall, and it seemed to some of them, a little bit of magic. The enemies had sealed them in, for reasons unknown.

"Miriam! Joseph just fell out of his chair and my arms aren't available right now! Help!"

The oldest of four children, Miriam was often called upon by her mother to help around the house, and she had matured very quickly for her age, having so much responsibility. Her father hadn't made it out of Kakariko that day, and they had four children and another on the way. Miriam immediately realized that she would almost have to be a second mother to these children, because a pregnant woman isn't always the most willing to keep track of three small boys.

"There there Joe, it's all right." Miriam tried to comfort the boy of six. "You're not even bruised. This is nothing compared to the time you fell out of that tree. You were sore for days!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a man poked his head inside. "Helen?"

"Yes? I'm a little busy right now!" she answered, frustrated that she could not find Tutor, the five year old mischeif-maker.

"I think you'd better come see this. Quick." There was a sense of urgency and angst in the man's voice.

"I'm sorry Glaibert, what is it?" she asked, sounding a little worried.

"Well you know the fish traps we have set on the west bank of the lake?"

"Of course, Glaibert, we've had them for ten years, get to the point!"

"Well ma'am, they're gone." Glaibert sighed, as if delivering that news had taken a great deal out of him.

Helen let out a sigh, but her's was of relief. "Thank goodness, I thought something serious had happened! Miriam, go with your friend Sa'tar and fetch the spare wood from the town storage, because you have some trap building to do."

"Therein lies the problem, marm, you see, well..."

"Yes Glaibert? I hate it when you stutter."

"You see... the wood...the food, clothes...everything that was in that shed... umm.." He paused and looked almost in despair.

"What do you mean was? Tell me what happened!"

"It's gone too."

-------------------------------

Stolton walked cautiously into the throne room of Hyrule Castle, and bowed at the king's feet.

"Oh get up." said the king, head in his hands. "Nobody should be bowing to me. I haven't done anything worth rememberance. Nothing."

Mortimas, the king of hyrule, had been in a sort of great depression over the last couple days. Nothing had happened that needed his attention, so he had time to think about all the terrible things he had done, or the good things he hadn't.

A look of hope crept onto Stolton's face as he remarked, "Sire, you did...plant a wonderful garden where the Inn used to be! Now sire, that garden was really...."

"Do you mock me?" The king sat up and looked very angry for a second, then remembered his depression. "I probably couldn't even manage to punish you. I'm just a failure as royalty."

Mortimas had lost numerous battles in the last few years, most of them trivial to the future of the kingdom, but soldiers were lost and he felt personally responsible for every one of them.

"Now Sire, I'm sure you'll get a chance to prove that you can lead this people. The time will come" Stolton sincerely hoped that would cheer the king up. He hated seeing him like this.

Mortimas looked up, right into his page's eyes. "Do you remember Kakariko village? Ransacked. Destroyed. I could have stopped it. We should have had soldiers there, we knew there was a growing threat, Queen Zelda felt it. No stolton, my chance has come and gone, with me sitting on my hands."

"There was nothing you could..."

"Yes there was!" Mortimas put his head back into his hands, shaking. "I could have listened to my wife. I could have. But I disregarded it. Like a fool."

"Sire, some survivors fled to Lake Hylia, you know that there are still about a quarter of the people left. So...it's not..as...." He was sure this comment would induce the king's wrath even further, so he just stopped talking and braced himself.

"It's not just Kakariko, boy! I've killed the Gorons and Zoras as well. They don't stand a chance...poor innocent souls, sentenced to die by the likes of me..."

Stolton could think of no more to say, and the King and his servant sat and stood respectively for quite some time. A sigh of relief was heard loudly when Stolton heard someone knock on the door. He then realized how loud the sigh had been, apologized, and went to answer the knock. One of the king's captains, Juran Goldhelm, entered, with a look of hurriedness and pride on his chiseled face.

"What is it, Goldhelm?" Mortimas looked almost glad to talk to someone besides the blundering page boy.

Juran bowed, and reported, "Sire, we've just received word that the encampment three miles off the Zora's river has been attacked."

The king sat up hurriedly in his chair. "What? That's impossible, nobody..."

"If I may, sire," Juran interrupted with a smile on his face. "They held off the attack, and we only suffered minor injuries, while the enemy lost half their host. I believe they have underestimated us, and I believe we should try to strike. Fear will be in their hearts!"

Mortimas slowly calmed back down and sunk deeply into thought. After a while, he spoke, "Juran, you've always been the agressive type, most of the time you are a hero for it, but sometimes it could get you into trouble. Now that they know our skills as an army, whoever these creatures are, they will be ready for an attack. They will have fortified. This isn't the time to launch an assault on that seemingly impenetrable fortress. Let us wait and let the enemy make the next move. I don't want to make another mistake."

The fortress that the king spoke was erected about 11 years ago, and spread all the way from kakariko village to the zora's river, sealing both the Gorons and the Zoras in their kingdoms. Not much was known about the state of the two races, but the Gorons were reported as defeated, and possibly extinct. The zoras were figured to still be alive, because they were an intelligent people, with lots of secrets to their lair. But it was only a matter of time.

"But sire, not attacking could be..."

The king cut him off. "I have made my decision, and I shall say it again. We are not going to attack yet. We don't know enough about our enemy. Good day, Goldhelm."

Juran reluctantly bowed and exited the chamber. Stolton wasn't sure what he should be doing, but he just stood at the king's side awaiting orders. It was a while before his majesty said anything.

"How I wish one of my captains was as brave as that hero of time, what was his name....Link. He was the definition of courage, and a simple fellow as well, no titles or anything. If only we had been more cautious, and had the camp well protected, he wouldn't have been assasinated. We could use him right about now. What a king he would have been. I could have done something to prevent his death. But once again, here I sit...."

Stolton realized that if he let the king think too much, he would become ever angrier, so Stolton changed the subject. "I believe it's time for a walk, sire. You've got a lot on your mind. Get some fresh air."

"And hopefully some peace and quiet!" remarked Mortimas, spitefully. "If someone comes looking for me, I'll be in that garden that you speak so highly of."

With that, the king turned his head and slowly trudged off in the direction of the castle courtyard.

Stolton repeated his king's wish to himself.. "I wish that Hero of Time were around to help us now." Just as he was about to turn and go. He heard something. Horses approaching the castle. He knew that sound, for knights rode in and out of the castle grounds. He listened closer, and stopped walking. This wasn't just one horse. It sounded like at least ten, and a carriage. He knew exactly what that meant.

The Queen had returned.

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AN: I hope you enjoyed the stereotypical first chapter. Thanks for the reviews on the prologue.

Aurvandil - thank you.

zelda-rules - my story will be mostly in THIS format. however, I could have some of that style writing mixed in. Flashbacks or whatnot. hm.

huzzah.


	3. Chapter 2: Decisions

**AN**: Well hello everyone. Me sorry for being so long to update. I seriously haven't had time or ideas. cuhrazy. but here is the second chappy, thanks to everybody for reviews. If you find errors or anything, feel free to say something in the review, because I haven't had extensive proofing on this chap. have fun reading it, and r&r.

huzzah.

**Chapter 2**

"Wait a second Glaibert...what's gone?" asked Helen, still a little confused.

"Everything! Everything we had in storage is gone. Gone!" The look of sadness left his face, and was replaced by a look of suicidal anguish.

"Now calm down, I'm sure there's been a mistake. I mean, somebody couldn't take all our supplies and have carried them away during the night. At least without a large multitude of people." She stopped to think for a split-second, and then her investigative instinct told her something. "It had to have been one of us. That's the only logical explanation! We had a guard last night, so nobody could have come through..."

Glaibert cut her off reluctantly and stammered, "Marm, the guard wasn't on last night. There was a mixup as to who was supposed to do it, and well, we figured that guard duty was mostly pointless anyways."

"Well there's not a moment to lose." Helen snapped. "Come on Glaibert, let's go round up the town. It's time to do some serious serarching."

When something of importance happened in Lakeland, the leader of the town, Ty, was supposed to take care of it or find a way to. However, what the people of Lakeland didn't know when they elected him leader was that he was one of the laziest people you'll ever meet. His father was a tremendous farmer and leader, and the townsfolk figured Ty would follow in the Jenkins footsteps. Not so.

The houses in the town were all faced towards a center area, with a makeshift gazebo in the center. This middle area was often used for town celebrations, or a meeting place if something needed to be debated or discussed. Ty initiated the meeting by waving his arms above his head and calling for silence. The clamor and murmuring died down to almost silence, and Helen took her spot next to Ty. The reason Helen accompanied Ty on almost all of his speeches was that Ty always would talk himself into a hole, and then not be able to get out. It would be very safe to say that Helen was indeed the head of this community, but the Lakelanders would not have a woman as the head.

"Lakelanders, last night something dreadful happened." Ty paused, making a stab at dramatic effect. "Everything that was in the storage shed was stolen."

There were whispers among the crowd, and they didn't seem to believe it. Helen stepped up alongside Ty and shouted, "It's true, I went this morning with Glaibert and inspected the shed, and the area around. Everything is gone."

The crowd, believing Helen, changed the subject of their whispers from doubt to worry. At this point, two figures emerged from the small crowd to speak to Ty and Helen. Annas and Saphra, the closest thing the community had to scholars. Annas had been the only one to salvage anything out of all the escapees. The only reason he was alive now was because of Saphra, his loyal pupil and basically adopted son. Saphra had seen Annas rushing back to get his books and maps, and ran after him, carrying the old man out.

From the establishment of Lakeland, the fifty-eight year old Annas had been against trying to survive. He lacked motivation to keep existing, just to die eventually with nothing accomplished. The twenty-five year old Saphra was always trying to come up with a new escape plan, but the seal of magic around the outside wall always decapitated his plans. Annas had eventually talked him out of trying to escape, because in his studies, he had learned something very important. The only thing that can counter magic is itself.

Saphra glared at Ty, seemingly blaming him for what had happened. Annas calmly spoke in his quiet way, and Ty had to motion for silence and ask the elderly man to repeat what he had said.

"Ty Jenkins, I do not place the blame for this unfortunate mistake on you, but I do think some of the security is your responsibility." Annas continued, in the same formal way he always did. "People of Lakeland, it is my belief that , at least from what I have heard, last night we were robbed by the very same group of villains that sealed us in this beautiful tomb"  
There were nods of agreement from the people, at least the ones who had already pondered the issue. Helen immediately rose her hands and proclaimed to the group, "I mean no disrespect in rebuking you Annas, but I must" Clearly, she meant boundless disrespect, but Helen was a polite woman. "You all remember how our city was burned as we fled. The same enemy who could have eliminated us then would not be trying to eliminate us now. Besides, would they not have just burned everything as they have done in the past?"

The crowd leaned towards Helen's side of the argument now, and Ty had to stop this debate, and do something useful. He clapped sarcastically and said "Wonderful speeches, both of you. Now to the real problem. What do we do about it?"

Helen had the answer thought out before the words even left Ty's mouth. "It's clear where all the stores are. They are still somewhere in Lakeland." More murmurs and gasps from the people. "Now we all know that there was too much to hide in just one house, but I think that we should start with an investigation. You can all return to your homes now, and I'll be around this afternoon to ask you all a few questions. Thank you all for being cooperative."

With that, the small crowd dispersed, with Annas being pulled quickly by Saphra. Apparently, the young man had thought of something. When they got inside their house, for they shared a home, Saphra stated his opinion.

"Sir, I believe neither of the stories to be true. I have devised my own hypothesis. Do you remember when we dismissed the search of the forest, because all there was behind the woods was a wall, an impassable wall? Well, I believe there's something in that forest. Something, I believe, that has stolen our inventory."

At first listen, Annas dismissed this as another one of the immature Saphra's wild hopes. Then, as he pondered it, he came to a conclusion.

"You know my boy, it's worth a shot. Tomorrow we shall take on the task of exploring the forest."

You could almost feel the eagerness radiating off Saphra, as he exclaimed, "I look forward to it! After all, walking through a forest can't hurt us...we've been getting a little round anyways, some exercise will"  
"It can't hurt us, you say?" An almost mischievous look came onto Annas' face, as he whispered, "The forest could be dangerous. After all, you never know. Why should we be the ones to do it. We don't have to mention this to the town, it would only put them in a fright. After all, mostly everyone in this town is a bumbling idiot, with the exception of Helen and her little girl."

At the mention of Miriam, Saphra said "Why don't we get her to do it?"

"Helen?"

"No, no, I'm talking about her girl, Miriam. She's curious to a fault, and I'm surprised she hasn't ventured in already. It would be simple for us to convince her to do it. Then, if harm comes to her, it's not a big deal. After all, she's only ten years old, and not very useful to a community."

"Saphra, you are coming around," said Annas with a smug look on his face.

-----------------------------

He stood atop a hill.

The enemies were coming at his from all directions.

He let out a yell, and sliced into the tide of darkness.

Slicing through this wave of evil, he caught a glimpse of a green-cloaked man, defending himself from the same foe.

The creatures around this man all shrieked as one, and leapt on top of him as one.

The man still stood atop the hill.

Still fighting with a vigor, he glimpses this man in green go down under a dark cloud of arms.

The man lets out a yell and turns to help out this green-cloaked man.

He turns and runs.

Thousands of tiny hands grasping at him, pulling him to the ground.

He cannot get there.

Given a second wind by some mystical force, he give it another try.

He cannot get there in time.

Letting out a cry, he is overwhelmed.

A voice cries out "You have let him die."

Repeating the same thing over and over again.

Steadily louder as the darkness closes in around him.

"Sire Mortimas!"

The King was still panting from his very realistic vision he had just been given. "Stolton," he said, with a dazed look on his face. He paused, then said calmly with a sincere look on his face. "Thank you."

"Sire?"

"Thank you Stolton. Thank you for waking me up. I was having the most terrible nightmare. Thank you for being there, and not hating me for all the things I've done.

"Not this again," Stolton thought to himself, but he let the king be, and didn't try to argue with him.

"My liege, I have good news. Your wife, the queen, is finally back from her escapade. Perhaps we shall learn what it was all about."

A sigh echoed inside the king's head. He knew the reason Zelda had left was because she hated him. At times in their marriage, it wasn't so bad, but they were a terrible couple. A marriage between the two was Zelda's mother's wish, that she wished with her last words. If they would have not married, they would have felt just as bad as they did now.

The king approached the entryway of the castle gate, expecting to see Zelda there, hoping for some odd reason that she would have found it in her heart to love him, then dismissing the thought completely. After 11 years of marriage, it wasn't bound to happen.

"Zelda, you have returned!" He exclaimed, straining his eyes to make her shape out against the sun. She cut a beautiful silhouette against the sunset. It was definitely Zelda.

"Hello my king Mortimas," She said with a touch of disappointment in her voice.

"How was your trip, my wife? May I inquire as to where you went, and whom you sought?"

"You may, but you aren't bound to get an answer out of me." She said with a smile and walked towards her chambers.

Still cold, still unloving. However, after yesterday's discussion with Stolton, he felt like he deserved it. Mortimas stood by the gate in the shadows thinking for a while. He thought about his dream, about the Hero of time, and wondered in the two were connected. Of course they were, how could they not be? He had let Link die, and his vision was a reenactment of that. He wasn't strong enough in any aspect of his body to save Link, or anybody.

Sitting in despair for another while longer, he almost drifted off to sleep, when an idea hit him square in the head. Actually it was a rock falling from the hill above, but it spurred a thought in the king's head. It was time to do something about this impending threat growing in the west. He knew it wouldn't ignore it. He had ignored everything, and paid for it. He couldn't wait any longer. It was time to attack the gargantuan fortress, as they had taken to calling it in Hyrule. It was time to make a stand against evil. It was time to be a hero.

Or die trying.

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**AN: **Aye, I hope he doesn't die. The next update will hopefully come soon, especially if people review and give helpful input. Cuz that's fun and easy. just like chia pets. well that's about all I have to say, so peace and out everybuddy.

huzzah.


	4. Chapter 3: On the Brink

**AN: **Hello fellows. It has been quite some time since I updated, but believe me, I have been working. Wait no, I lied. I haven't been. But this is chapter 3. I hope you much enjoy it. reviews are accepted, especially negative ones. flames are stupid, but you can flame if you so desire. chapter 4 will be soon.

seriously.

**Chapter 3**

Miriam's typical day involved lots of work, including but not limited to taking care of her three younger siblings. The situation she found herself in was one of familiarity to her, for her mother was out asking around town about the robbery of only last night. She longed to go with her mother, for she knew herself that she had great ability to reason. However, Helen didn't trust anyone to watch her children today, for it was her belief that someone in Lakeland was a traitor and a thief.

Joe and Tutor were playing some sort of game in their room, as far as Miriam could hear. The only other responsibility that she had as of now was Thomas in his cradle. Fortunately he was asleep, so she had time to rest. Peaceful contemplation wasn't an event experienced very often in this household, so she was grateful for these few moments.

Miriam's mind wandered, and puzzled over a frequent question in her mind. Why would the enemy have left us alive? They seemed fairly cruel, at least from what her mother had told her. It just didn't make sense to her, to leave a helpless people alive. Unless…they needed something from us. Miriam's thought immediately went to the village supply that was taken the night before. In her mind, she almost arrived at the conclusion that it had been the same enemies who had sealed them in. However, after thinking it over for a second, she wondered why they would need such a small amount of wood, food and clothes. It just didn't make sense. According to Helen and lots of the learned folk of Lakeland, their numbers were immense. This small town's store would be too insignificant to explain the dark ones keeping them alive as harvesters. Once again, Miriam was puzzled.

Her dilemma was put on hold when a cry was heard from the baby's cradle. She hurried over to comfort Thomas. She picked him up and sat on the floor, free to think again. There had to be a reason why the magicians had sealed her in. They could have killed them. Why? It seemed to be a question without an immediate answer, so Miriam put it out of her mind for the time being.  
Meanwhile, Helen's "interrogations" were going smoothly, but without wanted results. People Helen knew and trusted hadn't seen or heard anything suspicious last night, which was starting to frustrate Helen. She was sure that it was a Lakelander. In her mind, it was the only logical answer.

"A supply shed like that doesn't just empty itself," she muttered under her breath as she approached the next house. It was Ty's. Helen had never much cared for Ty, the two had never gotten along, mostly because most of the women in the town felt that Helen could have done a terribly better job than Ty was doing running the community. Nevertheless, this was the way things were, and were probably going to be for a while.

"Good afternoon, sir," she said politely. Ty grunted, as he was resting in his chair and probably unhappy that he was being bothered. "I just need to ask you a few questions, then you can go back to sleep if you wish." Helen was rather repulsed as Ty wiped the drool from his mouth and stood up.

"Alright," he mumbled. "Let's get this over with. I have no idea what's going on"  
Helen sighed, and tried to follow the same pattern of questions that she had been using with the other Lakelanders today.

"Where were you last night?" she said slowly.

"In bed." Ty replied defiantly.

"When time was it when you retired?"

"I'd say it was around 10, I was pretty wiped out."

"Did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary before then? People acting suspicious, anything?"

"Nope. Can I go back to sleep now?" Helen sighed, nodded, and got up to leave. She wondered if these interviews were going to help her at all, or if this was the wrong way to go about things. She only had two more houses to go, so she figured that the best thing to do right now would be to just finish asking around.

The next house she came to was Annas and Saphra's. Helen knocked, and when nobody answered, tried opening the door. Much to her surprise, an alarmed voice from inside snapped, "Don't you people have any patience? I'm an old man! Give me a minute." Annas' mood changed quickly when he saw that it was Helen trying to gain entry into his home, and welcomed her in, for even though he wasn't pure of heart, he knew the importance of manners in these situations.

"What can I help you with?" he inquired, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room. Helen sat down across from him, and just as she began speaking, Saphra entered the room, and surprised to see Helen there, he stopped in his tracks.

"Oh hello there miss." He said shyly.

"Oh yes, Saphra, I almost forgot about you.Would you care to join us?" Saphra shrugged and sat down next to Annas as Helen began her questioning.

A few minutes later, Helen was exiting the last house, the house of the Numers, friends of the family. She started to make her way back home, feeling that this afternoon had pretty much been a waste of time. The only interesting visit in her eyes was the talk she had with Annas and Saphra. According to Annas, they were taking a walk last night and heard some suspicious noises coming from the woods to the west of Lakeland. They weren't sure what the noises sounded like, but for Helen, any tidbit was good enough. She didn't know why someone or something would have been in the woods. They knew that there was a sizeable wall around the outside the woods as well. When they had first decided that they were going to try to live and establish a way of life around Lake Hylia, one of the first things Ty decided he was going to do was explore. He took a group of men, most of the men in the town, and circled the outside edge of the wall, just looking for a sign of a door or some way of escape. Their enemies had picked a good spot to seal the Kakariko in, for there was already a wall around most of the area, all they had to do was seal off a couple small areas, and the people were trapped.

Helen decided to call it a day as far as investigating went, for she was exhausted, and needed some time to take it all in. She arrived home, and was pleased to find Miriam had done a wonderful job taking care of the children, as nothing was broken, and all the children were still in one piece.

"How did it go, Mom?" Miriam asked, expectantly.

"You'll be glad you didn't go, it was fairly dull, nobody told me much of anything. I'm pretty disappointed, but I really don't know what I was expecting. I'll watch the kids for a while if you want to go out and play or something. After all, you've been inside with Thomas most of the day. Why don't you go have fun?"

Miriam was thankful that her mother would allow her to go play, because she hadn't expected to be able to do anything for a while, with her mother running a bunch of investigations and things of that nature. After all, the food would be scarce for a while, so it would be nice to get this problem figured out as soon as possible so everybody could go back to his or her normal lives.

Later that night, Miriam was talking with her mother at home, and learned that Annas and Saphra had heard some strange noises coming from the woods. Miriam was obviously intrigued, because she had been puzzling over this just as much as her mother had. Helen had ruled out the possibility that the woods had anything to do with this, and once she made up her mind, there wasn't really anything Miriam could do about it. Therefore, Miriam decided not to mention her decision to pay a visit to Annas and Saphra tomorrow. After all, what harm could come of a conversation?

XXXXX

Juran Goldhelm sat at the fire of his small encampment near the Zora's River, pondering if anyone had noticed his disappearance. It was probably around midnight, he thought, and decided that he should go to bed. After all, he had a big day ahead of him tomorrow. Earlier today he had been given orders not to assault Gargantuan, the fortress that potentially eliminated three peoples.

xxxxx

_"But sire, not attacking could be..."_

_"I have made my decision, and I shall say it again. We are not going to attack yet. We don't know enough about our enemy. Good day, Goldhelm."_

xxxxx

Those words cast a cloud of dismay upon Juran's aggressive and hopeful spirits. He thought the king, who had been feeling down on himself because he hadn't stopped the Dark Army thus far, would be extremely eager to launch an attack. His hopes were dashed, and apparently he was wrong. The skirmish yesterday morning had been the first real battle between the two forces, and Juran was extremely invigorated by the fact that they suffered no loss and minor injuries, while driving the enemy away and slaying what the soldiers believed to be about half their host. It was odd, he thought, that they hadn't really battled before then. The fortress had been there for around 11 years according to the reports from a man who fled to Hyrule Castle from Kakariko village named Lodeem. The only details they could get out of him before he died was that there was an attack a couple days before he wound up at Hyrule Castle, and he didn't think there were any survivors except himself.

His mind went to the Dark Army. Juran Goldhelm, Captain of all the king's armies, had fought and won many battles. However, when he fought this new enemy, it felt different. He didn't know why or how, but he could sense a real evil in the presence of these creatures. Some seemed like distorted humanoids that had extra limbs sewn on, others just seemed like carnivorous animals. He couldn't tell their age, or what sex they were, so he had no way to judge what type of a host was attacking him. After all, he had never seen things like this before. Could be genderless for all he knew. They didn't seem very strong, and he wondered how they would have taken on the Gorons, for the Gorons were known for their formidable strength, and wouldn't have given up easily. There must be thousands of these things, or they must have a secret.

Juran had directly disobeyed the king's orders. He was given an order not to attack. Juran wasn't usually a man to disobey his king. He was a noble man, a man of conviction. Today was different, however. Juran felt that the kingdom would be in serious danger if this looming enemy was not dealt with as soon as was possible. Besides, the king was in a semi-altered state of depression, and it could have affected his judgment. Therefore, this afternoon, he had gathered a surprisingly strong force to join him in this combination of an attack and a scouting. Juran wanted to fight against this Dark Army in the Dark Army's lair. He had seen Gargantuan, and it seemed impenetrable, but that was one of the reasons he wanted to attack soon. One, he knew the enemy was weak, and two, he had to find out if this fortress could be breached with any mortal army.

"Tomorrow I shall." He whispered to himself, and headed towards his tent.

XXXXX

Hyrule Castle was in a state of confusion. About fifty of its men were all missing, all soldiers in the King's Army, including Juran Goldhelm. This evening, the marketplace was filled with women asking around, wondering where their husbands had gone. It was a kind of rapture for the citizens, as they couldn't figure out where these men had either gone to or been taken to. The King gave strict orders that he was not to be bothered, so he heard nothing of this. Zelda however, while looking over the town, realized that something was wrong. She decided to make her way down to the bazaar where most of the townsfolk were gathered and see what the commotion was about. Much to her grief, she learned that men were missing, and the last anybody had seen of them was a couple groups of men leaving through the castle gate. Zelda asked a nearby woman why nobody had inquired where the men were going.

"It seemed like commonplace then, I mean, there's a few men taking a leisure walk in Hyrule field. I'm guessing nobody thought to ask."

That was the answer Zelda got from most of the women, more or less. Zelda's thoughts then went to Mortimas. How would he take this? She dreaded the moment when she would have to break the news to him. It had to be done, however, so she made her way back up to the castle.

Mortimas was fast asleep in bed when Zelda entered the royal bedroom of Hyrule Castle. She stared at him for a while, wondering why it was so hard to love this man. To even get along with this man. He was a troubled individual, and it had only gotten worse the longer they had been together. A divorce would only throw this kingdom off, however, so they decided that they would endure until death did them part. Love. It had become strange to her.

xxxxx

_"Princess Zelda, is that you?" A voice spoke from above._

_"Yes, it is, and by the by, it's Queen Zelda now." She answered in a matter of fact tone, trying to hide the fact for the time being that she was glad to see these people again._

_A small figure dressed in green jumped down from a sycamore, and ran to Zelda, embraced her, and cried "Oh it's so good to see you again. I worry about you, now that you're running a kingdom!"_

_"Saira." Zelda smiled._

_"Come, we have much to talk about!" Saira led her into her small hut, and the two got talking._

_The Kokiri were an innocent forest people, all children, and children for life. Their innocence and good spirits were just what Zelda needed. However, the escape from society wasn't the only reason Zelda had ventured to Kokiri Forest. There was another reason._

_Him._

_This place reminded her of him._

_It was so long ago, but she could still see his face clearly in her mind. The face of a hero. The face of the Hero of Time._

_xxxxx_

Zelda sighed and slid under the covers next to her husband. She didn't want to tell him about her journey to Kokiri Forest, for he had enough on his mind already. She decided tonight was a good night to rest, and let the morrow play itself out.

**AN:** That was exciting. actually not really, not a whole lot happened in this chapter. oh well. next chapter will have lots of fun-filled excitement. so...


	5. Chapter 4 : Of the Heart

**AN: **I hate to repeat myself, but reviews are greatly appreciated. that's really all for now.

**--- Chapter 4 - Of the Heart ----**

The feeling a person experiences when they first awake is that of contentment, freedom, and peace. You have no worries, no cares, and the morning is welcoming you with its warm sunlight and relaxing atmosphere. The perfect feeling, if you will. This is the way Helen felt as she opened her eyes. Then the memory came rushing back. Lakeland had been robbed. She sighed, and wondered out loud how she would go about making any progress today. Usually a resourceful woman, Helen was surprisingly out of ideas. She decided the best thing to do as of now is to just go on living. There wasn't much else she, or anyone else, could do.

She wandered into Miriam's room to rouse her, a unjustified knot formed in her stomach. Miriam wasn't there. Helen tried to calm herself down, since Miriam often rose early, for she much enjoyed sitting by the lake watching the sun rise and reflect off the lake. It's just that Helen was so shaken up by the happenings of late, the last thing she wanted to lose was her oldest child. Helen rushed outside and looked around the town hurriedly. Miriam was sitting crosslegged on the makeshift dock, staring into the depths of the lake. She noticed her mother and waved, then got down off the dock, seeming to have something to tell Helen.

"Hey Mom, how much will you need my help today?" Miriam yelled, then put a hand over her mouth, realizing that most people were probably still asleep.

"Actually dear, I may not need you at all. Unless of course, Thomas gets fussy. Then I might need you to take Joe and 'Tor out to play. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. Just wondering." Miriam decided it was better that her mother not know about her plans to visit Annas and Saphra today, so she decided to change the subject. "Have you come to any conclusions about what might have happened to all our stuff?"

Helen sighed. "No, I haven't. That's part of the reason I don't think I'll need you much today. It's actually kind of frustrating. But I won't bother you now. Use this day to enjoy yourself. Hopefully this thing will all blow over and we'll get back to normal life eventually. That is, if we all help out"

One of the most essential things about this period when there was no food storage was that every family had to provide for themselves for a while. They had jobs like any other town or community here in Lakeland. Carpenters, fishermen, clotheirs. They all had their duties. However, now most people in the town capable of working would have to gather food, by fishing or foraging, which in past attempts had proved unfruitful, as there weren't many berry bushes along the edge of the forest. Fishing was basically the only option for these citizens at this point, and fortunately there was an abundant supply of fish in Lake Hylia.That afternoon, while Helen was at home minding her children, Miriam was making her way over to Annas' residence, wondering once again if there was more to the noises than they were telling Helen. She had never really spoken with Annas or Saphra, only the occasional polite "Hello" or "How do you do." A feeling of worry crept over her, but at the same time, her curiosity grew even stronger. Somehow she felt that the noises in the woods had something to do with the woods.

The woods. They had no other name to the Lakelanders. Simply the woods. Part of the reason that they hadn't ever ventured into the depths of this forest, and the reason that most people gave, was the fact that they didn't know if they would be able to find their way out again. The deeper reason behind the peoples fear of the woods was that a middle-aged man by the name of La'man had ventured in eight years ago, hoping to find something of signifigance, and hadn't returned yet. He was presumed dead by everyone, and only reassured their fears that the woods was a pointless and dangerous place to go. Besides, the wall extended all the way around, at least according to Ty. And for all they knew, there could be dangers besides getting lost lurking in there.

Miriam arrived at Annas' house and knocked softly. She waited for some time, and almost considered abandoning the whole thing, until another wave of curiosity took over, and she knocked again, this time knocking harder. Saphra eventually came to the door, and peered out.

"Oh hello there. Miriam, isn't it?" He seemed either extremely worried or embarrased, Miriam couldn't decide which.  
"May I come in?" she asked in an innocent child-like way.

"Well, of course."

Miriam entered to see a small table in the middle of the room, four chairs surrounding it, and two doors leading to seperate rooms. Bedrooms, she supposed.

"So...what do you need?" Saphra was feeling awkward, not having the most adept social skills. It was a stroke of luck that Annas had just emerged from his room, presumably writing, studying maps and scrolls, as was his custom most afternoons and evenings.

"Ah! The little Miriam. It's so nice to see you. Won't you sit?" Miriam took a seat in the nearest wooden chair and took a deep breath.

"You know how my mother was here yesterday?" she started timidly. Annas and Saphra both acknowledged the question with a nod. "She mentioned that you guys said something about noises in the woods?"

A feeling of accomplishment rushed into Annas, and by the expression on Saphra's face, probably him too. This couldn't have worked out better for them. After all, the method of asking Miriam to venture into the woods for them was an area of undecision for the two schemers, but now it had fallen right into their lap. Annas was surprised he hadn't thought of his words having this result, and almost angry that he hadn't. However, here she was, the curious Miriam, asking about the very thing they were trying to lure her into.

"Oh yes. The evening before the robbery we were taking a stroll, when we heard some significant rustling and clattering type noises. There's really not much more than that to the story than that. They could have been caused by a small animal or something, but we heard something for certain, didn't we Saphra?" He nodded enthusiastically. "We think it just might have something to do with the robberies that took place that night, but we're not sure how."

Miriam was eager to prove her reasoning ability, and started rambling. "Could it have been the creeps that trapped us in here waiting to make their move? Or one of us, as my mom suspects? Of course, it could have nothing to do with the murder at all. Who knows? I don't!" Miriam found herself getting too wound up, and took a deep breath. Lowering her voice for caution's sake, she asked, "Have you guys ever explored in the woods?" Annas suppressed the smile that was forming on his lips, and replied

"No actually, we haven't, and had almost dismissed it, as we aren't brave folk. We're only scholars, we prefer to stay inside and learn about such matters instead of experiencing them." Annas tapped into his acting skills, and pretended that an idea had just popped into his head. "Of course, to learn, scholars must have people to report. Messengers, if you will." He said this in a wise, and almost obvious tone.

Miriam caught on right away, and before the voice of reason in her head could speak, she heartily spoke, "Of course I'll go in for you!" She realized right after this that it might have been unwise to take this assingnment on, but she figured, "Hey, maybe I should be more spontaneous sometimes. After all, I do think too much."

The three spent the next few minutes discussing plans, means of directing this search without the rest of the town finding out, and debating whether the night or the day would be better. They finally decided that it would be carried out tomorrow afternoon, when nobody would miss them. Miriam's second thoughts had completely vanished at this point, and she was heartily ready to begin to search the woods. Curiousness was her strongest aspect, and mixed with reason she was a girl with strength of mind and heart. However, the voice of reason had been subdued over the last couple hours, and because of that, she was taking on a potentially dangerous mission with these two scholars whom she had never spoken to until today. Curiousity had won. She had to figure all these mysteries out. After all, her mother would be happy if she discovered an answer to the missing goods. "In a sense, I'm helping mother." she lied to herself.

Miriam realized that she better get home to avoid her mother's suspicious questioning, so she said goodbye and headed back to her house.

XXXXX

Glaibert sat alone in his house, writing. He loved writing, as it took his mind off his usual problems. He would formulate and sketch imaginary fantasy kingdoms of his, and immerse himself in these fabricated worlds.

Today, writing wasn't working for him. Too many things were running through his head. Glaibert had a terrible habit of overanalyzing most every situation he found himself a part of. He couldn't help feeling that some of this was his fault, because he was a member of the Lakeland guard, and they had decided that they were going to stop guarding in the evening, simply for the reason that there wasn't any real threat to attack, spy, or...steal. Plus, most of the men who lived here had one thing in common. Laziness.

Glaibert had actually been one of the few who had voted against terminating the night patrol, for he always felt safer with a guard, even if they were just sitting outside, awake. Glaibert's mind started going in a completely different direction than it had yet tonight. After all, he was one for the guard. If he had had his way, there would have been a guard outside that night. It wasn't his fault. It was that lazy Ty's fault. He was the one who had pushed hard for the shutting down of the guard, and being the "mayor" he had extreme leverage in these issues. Yes. It wasn't his fault, it was all Ty's. It was Ty's fault we're in this mess. It felt good to lay the blame on someone else for a change. Glaibert felt an empty satisfaction, and tried to convince himself that he should be satisfied with this conclusion, and for now, he was.

XXXXX

_Ka'monotan!_

The king awoke from his nightmare, that word echoing in his head. He didn't know it meant, or why he kept hearing it, but the last couple nights that word had been whispered frequently in his dreams. Mortimas had anticipated and dreaded waking up today. Today, he would find out what he was really made of. He was going to end his despairs over this looming threat in the Kakariko valley, if that meant defeating the Dark Army, or being slain, he had a feeling that his troubles would end today.

Mortimas was in for a surprise when he entered the barracks, as he found it in a state of confusion. The hundreds of soldiers residing there had expected the fractional amount of missing soldiers that had left yesterday afternoon to have returned by now. No such luck. The king was shocked, and appalled when he learned that Juran Goldhelm was the one who had led them. Rage almost instantly filled the king's chest, as he remembered distincly giving orders for Juran, the eager captain of his Royal Army, not to attack Gargantuan. That was the only place that he could have taken fifty men. At least one problem was solved. Mortimas now knew where all his men had gone. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. Even with such a small host, Juran's intentions were clear to the king. His loyal captain had gone against his orders. Goldhelm was going to engage the Dark Army.

And He, Mortimas, King of Hyrule, was going to follow in his footsteps.

The king decided to leave as soon as possible, for even though he was felt great anger towards his captain, he realized that with that small of a host, Juran wouldn't be able to accomplish much. He gathered seven hundred men, leaving a hundred behind for safety's sake, because the last thign he wanted was to be attacked while attacking.

It wasn't a glorious exit, it wasn't celebrated, or praised. Mortimas led his great army out the gate of Hyrule Castle, and once they were all outside in Hyrule field, turned to face his host.

"My efforts to lead this Hylian people have failed many times before. I have made countless mistakes, but I hope today I will be able to put all my doubts to an end. Men, we are going to attack Gargantuan fortress today. It will be a long march, probably followed by an intesnse and lengthy fight. I wish you all didn't have to be a part of this, but it has to be done. Gather your courage, and try to trust me."

Feeling dejected and feeling that his command of these men could slip away at any time, simply for the fact that he hadn't done anything worthy of respect. He only hoped the men would be loyal to their king.

XXXXX

It was noon at the Hylian encampment near the Zora's river. Juran Goldhelm stood at the front of a small host, helmet under his arm. The moment he had been anticipating had come. he turned in the direction of Gargantuan, barely visible as a dark blur, and lifted his arm. All the soldiers stood at attention, waiting for the signal to march. Juran lifted his head and proclaimed in a strong, loud voice, "Soldiers of Hyrule! You have come here today with me, disobeying the king's wishes, thinking of the greater good. If you are willing to follow my lead and risk the consequenses of disobedience of a direct order from the king, then I thank you. If not, I understand completely, and give you your leave to go."

Juran heard rustling behind him, and turned, expecting to see soldiers packing their things and starting to head back to the castle. What he saw surprised the captain. Every soldier had his hand on his chest in the Hylian salute, standing at the ready. A smile crept across Juran's stern features, and he turned and started marching towards the Dark Army's fortress. Towards what he knew could be their doom.

After a long march, the fortress had become fairly visible, and Juran, even though he had viewed Gargantuan before, marveled once again at the immense structure that was created with barely any detection. A thought crept into his mind. A thought that this fortress should have been destroyed long ago, if it wasn't for the inaction of Mortimas, his king. His king. Those words echoed in his mind, reminding him of his allegiance. No, he wouldn't place blame now. He was still loyal. This disobedience was necessary, for the good of the kingdom, and for all Hyrule.

The soldiers made camp about a half mile away from the fortress, from what Juran could tell, and took a rest. It was getting later in the afternoon, and Juran was worried that if they slept here tonight they would be detected, by a patrol, or simply by their fires being viewed from atop the structure. The last thing he wanted was for his army to be caught off guard and unprepared. After the soldiers had rested and refreshed themselves, he made the announcement that they would approach the fortress with a group of ten soldiers (including himself) and try to engage the enemy in neutral talks. He knew nothing of his enemy, or how many strange creatures they had harbored inside Gargantuan. He didn't even know what they called themselves, what they called their stronghold, or if they even spoke in the common tounge. That's what he planned to find out in about an hour when he took his small troupe up to the walls.

The ten men approached the gate, stopped, and was just about to speak when a burning arrow struck the ground directly in front of him. All the men, out of instinct, drew their weapons (or bows, as it was a diverse group), immediately followed by Goldhelm's commanding voice yelling to his soldiers, but inadvertantly to the enemy as well, "Put down your weapons! We didn't come to fight!"

The archer who loosed the arrow had not been spotted by the men yet, but it wasn't surprising, as dusk was beginning to set in. It would have been more ideal in broad daylight, but Juran felt it wasn't safe to camp so close to the Dark Army. A shadowy shape was emerging from behind a stony ledge, above them, and a sinister voice eminated from it. "Allay, tan leck fin ti sontanar!"

Juran didn't recognize this tounge, and decided to speak in common speech and see if the creature, or whatever it was, would respond. "We do not come to fight, but to talk."

"Ah, your speech is common of this kingdom. Seek what do you?"

Juran was pleased that he would be able to communicate with at least some of the enemy, and answered, "We seek to speak with the head of this fortress, regarding the thoughtless destruction that we have heard reports of."

Suddenly, other shadowy figures seemingly started to appear around them, there seemed to be scores of them, but it could have been the men's imagination, and the evening mist messing with their minds. The creature that had been speaking jumped down from the ledge and began walking towards them. As it approached, it's figures became more distinct, and it started resembling a humanoid in a dark cloak, somewhat hunched, or deformed, it was hard to tell. The being's face wasn't visible as of yet, and it stopped about twenty feet away from the group.

"I am the one you shall follow." It turned and started towards Gargantuan, and as Juran thought about the name that the Hylianshad given the fortress, he asked a simple question.

"What do you call this fortress?" Not sure what to expect, Juran waited in silence. After a while, the being. without turning it's head, spoke.

"Ka'monotan."


	6. Chapter 5 : Obedience Aside

**AN:** Cheerio. It's another chapter. this one's got some interesting things in it. possibly.

once again (no really really lame pun intended) I must ask that anybody who reads a signifigant amount of this story give me a review. I accept with eagerness constructive criticisms, so don't be afraid to be honest. enjoy this chapter, I really can't wait to write the next one so it won't be too long. unless I'm lazy.

**Chapter 5 : Obedience Aside**

A couple minutes of thinking after waking up, and Glaibert had made up his mind. He had to call a town meeting. Ty's leadership must come to an end. The robbery was all Ty's fault.

_That man hasn't done anything profitable or worthy of note since he was elected. This town would be better off without him. In fact, this world would be better off without him._

Glaibert immediately stopped himself. He had never thought this way before. He wasn't that kind of person.

_No. I'm not like that. _

But it felt so good.

Then and there, Glaibert made up his mind to bring his proposal for the deposition of Ty to the Lakeland community today. As he decidedly strode out of his house, he thought,

_I can't let my rotten feelings toward Ty influence the good of this community. Even though I believe, putting my feelings aside, that Ty is a terrible leader, and should never have been elected. I've always thought Helen would be a better leader than him. She ends up dealing with most of the-_

His thought was interrupted as he turned a corner and ran into the woman he was just thinking of.

"Oh hello Ma'am." he mumbled, surprised and apologetic. Helen nodded, but barely seemed to notice. Glaibert suddenly felt that feeling arise in his mind again. The feeling that he was surperior. The notion that he Glaibert, should own this town. He could fix it up a bit.

Where are these thoughts coming from? Glaibert wondered to himself. He'd always had a na_tural tendency to be an onlooker, a follower, but never an opposer. He just never had the courage._

_That Helen is in the way. If I proposed that Ty step down, Helen would be the rightful leader. _

That is something I must stop from happening. Thoughts started pouring into Glaibert's slowly distorting mind. Methods, plans...ways to carry it out...

_NO! _Glaibert came back to his senses. Helen was a friend, and she would work wonders at the head of this community. He vowed never to think that way again about a fellow Lakelander. Murder was completely out of the question. He would be punished, and probably executed.

_That is, if I got caught..._

XXXXX

After a fairly uneventful day yesterday, Helen was once again confused as to what to do today, besides her obvious daily care of the children and checking the new fish traps her daughter had made last night. Helen was frustrated, because she felt that by volunteering to investigate the day after the robbery, she had promised to provide a solution to this mess, and that everyone was looking to her to make the next move. The problem was, there wasn't a good way to go about making the next move. There weren't any more people to question. There wasn't any more evidence to analyze. She wasn't a detective, she was just a woman. A mother. Her thoughts wandered to her children.

Miriam had always been like her mother. Resourceful, bright, friendly, and overall they were both strong-willed women who were polite, but wouldn't be bossed around.

"Speaking of Miriam, where _is_ she anyway?" Helen wondered out loud, and Joseph, who was standing at her feet, shook his head and shrugged.

XXXXX

Standing in a patch of knee deep grass at the outskirts of the forest south of Lakeland, Miriam turned to face Saphra, who had volunteered to escort her. A sight the did not expect met her eyes. The young man was a lot closer than she remembered, and in his hand he grasped a knife.

Miriam gasped and jumped back, confused and startled. Saphra looked surprised, then realized why she had been frightened. He smiled kindly, and said,

"Oh I'm sorry Miriam, just wanted to provide you a way to find your way back. You're a very capable girl, I know, but Annas and I decided it would be for the best if you took this."

Miriam was puzzled at first as she took the blade from Saphra, not knowing exactly how this would help her find her way back out of the deep woods. Saphra saw the look on her face, and immediately knew that she was wondering how this knife would be of use to her. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he remarked calmly,

"Make a mark in a tree every so often, so you'll have..." Saphra paused, as if at a loss for words. "A way to come home." There was something odd about the way he said it, Miriam thought, but she disregarded it.

"Remind me again what I should be looking for?" she said, surprisingly business-like.

"Anything out of the ordinary. We don't know anything about the fauna of this place, so even if you don't find anything specific, it'll be in the interest of science." Saphra was proud of himself for justifying this escapade on other grounds than his and Annas' curiosity.

"Allright, I'll see you soon. Again, if my mother asks, I've been really stressed out and I'm just out taking a vacation of sorts from the hustle and bustle of late."

Saphra nodded, and waved as he turned to go back to his newly accquired daily duties. Miriam hated lying to her mother, and even though it wouldn't be her lying directly, she still felt considerable guilt.

_However, it has to be done. I mean, she would only be _more_ worried if I told her the truth. It's much better this way._

She took a resolute breath, and plunged into the ominous, and yet somehow inviting woods. Instantly, she felt concealed, and almost safe, but for her anxiousness. The treetops let in just enough light to see, almost the effect of being under a blanket. She took in her surroundings as she made her first mark on the tree to her right. There weren't any real landmarks that she could refer to later, so she was thankful that Saphra had thought to give her his knife. She decided head forward, for she remebered that Ty had taken a group around the outside edge, and if he hadn't found anything, that probably meant if there were animals of any kind in this forest, they would have to be dwelling somewhere closer to the center.

After a considerable while, Miriam figured she must be fairly deep into the forest by now. She made another mark on the tree, as she had done every couple trees she passed, and sat down against a thick tree behind her to take what she thought would be a short rest.

A few hours later, Miriam awoke with a start. She was a little hazy at first, feeling rested and relaxed, and then realized she had been asleep for longer than she planned, as the forest was growing dark.

_How did I end up sleeping so long? _she wondered, for she had gotten a good amount of sleep last night, and shouldn't have been as tired as she was. Somehow this forest was doing things to her. She didn't really get it, but somehow the peaceful enclosed atmosphere made her feel safe and warm.

_I wonder what time it is? I really hope it isn't very late, for they'd be looking for me by now. It's probably safest to head out of here, and continue this search some other time. Besides, something about the woods at night doesn't sound very appealing. _

She started to make her way back, following the marks she had strategically placed on numerous trees. Confidently, she started walking a little faster, when she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Stopping in her tracks, she peered into the darkening forest, pondering whether or not to say anything. After all, it could have been a trick of the light. She decided to keep forward, however her quickened pace this time was not of confidence but of anxiety. Her imagination started to run wild, something it had been known to do, but never in this kind of a situation. For some reason, an unknown creature or person with her in the forest seemed quite frightening, even though she wasn't sure if there _was _anything there. Suddenly, she had an idea. She immediately stopped walking, and simultaneously listened closely. Sure enough, there was a sound of _something_ following alongside her, a ways away, but most definately there. The steps stopped, as if waiting for Miriam to make the next move. She started walking, slowly again, not sure what to expect, but ready for most anything.

Then as she was looking to her right, she heard something that sounded like it was coming from behind and to her left. She whipped around, to see a shape some distance away dart behind a tree. Whatever was following her had great agility, which wasn't a comforting fact. Besides being scared, Miriam was also curious. Not curious enough, however, to approach the area where she had seen the animal race behind a tree. Not _that_ curious. She decided to put these things our of her mind, and focus on getting home, as she had to pay attention to her markings. This strategy worked for a while, until she heard a signifigant rustle to her left, and couldn't curb her curiousity any longer.

She cried out, "Hello? Is anybody there?"

Silence. Then a figure that couldn't have been more than twenty feet away from her dashed across the beaten down path miriam had created on her way into the forest. From what Miriam could tell, it appeared to be a person, or at least something that resembled a person. A wave of fear crept up her spine, as she was becoming seriously afraid. These things were playing a game with her. A kind of demented dance. She was their game, and what easy prey she was.

Miriam made up her mind that if these creatures were hostile, she wouldn't give in to them as easily as they might infer. She pulled out the blade that Saphra had given to her, brandishing it in her right hand, and called out,

"Whoever you are, come and get me!" Immediately after she had spoken, she wished she hadn't, as an immense fear of death swept over her. She had never thought of her own death, and hadn't ever experienced any other person dying. _I want to live. I don't-_

Her thoughts were cut off as she heard some methodical rustling behind her, and she whipped around. These things were definately not trying to hide from her anymore. Miriam drew in a sharp breath as one of the creatures stepped out from behind a tree. This sharp breath, however, was not caused by Miriam's first sighting of her supposed enemies. This sharp breath resulted from Miriam feeling a hand on the back of her neck. She started losing conciousness, and as she fell to the forest floor, her thoughts went to her mother.

Her heart felt like crying as she sank into a deep sleep for the second time today.

This sleep was different. Miriam didn't know if she would wake.

XXXXX

Juran stood at Ka'monotan's outer gate. a little unsure of himself, which was an odd feeling to the captain. These creatures that were escorting them to the fortress weren't anything like the monsters and deformities from the same army that they had done battle with not two days ago. These folk, he wasn't sure what they were, but they seemed more civilized, at least when it came to social conduct. They acted much like enemies they had faced other times, but there was something about them. Something...dark. Something inhuman. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, and decided to dismiss the thoughts for now, as they were beckoned forward by one of the shadowy creatures.

"Sir, come you must. Meet our leader you will, soon."

Goldhelm could tell that they weren't quite used to the common speech's phrasing yet, but he understood them well enough to nod and motion for his men to follow him as he entered. He was in a courtyard of sorts, a place where in any normal castle there would have been fountains or gardens, something pleasing to the eye. Here, Juran found, wasn't necessarily the opposite, but any castle architecht would have been perplexed. He saw numerous large pits, all glowing from the metalwork that was being done underground. Here, Juran saw lots of monstrosities like the ones he and his men had done battle with, and these beings didn't seem especially happy to see him. In fact, most of them growled, and from what Juran could tell, spoke to each other, but he couldn't be sure. The place was a mess, a majestic sight to see, but nonetheless very dirty and out of order. There were lots of tents, it seemed they housed merchants, selling crude weaponry, clothing, and here and there he saw scraps of food being sold for ridiculously high prices. He figured this was used as a marketplace, and realized that whoever was part of the immense dark force must live here, or in the shambles of Kakariko Village. He tried to take his mind off the destruction these "people" had caused, so as they were walking through this courtyard, he turned to their escort, still not able to really make out any distinct facial features.

"I am grateful for your courteous behavior, I did not expect as much." Juran realized after he said this that it might offend the creature, so he tried to think of something else to say. It was hard to make small talk with an unknown species who happened to be your unpredictable enemy.

The creature didn't reply to this remark by Goldhelm, and continued leading them through the market, and into two large double doors. Juran was taken by surprise, for the inside of this fortress was remarkably well crafted and beautiful. It wasn't the same beauty that Hyrule castle possesed, it inspired more of a frightened awe. The messenger led them through a couple hallways, all having numerous doors on either side. Juran didn't want to imagine what was behind those doors, and as they kept walking, a growing desire to turn the other way and head back to Hyrule was growing in his heart. However, he kept it up, for Mortimas said they didn't know anything about their enemy. Juran was inside their fortress, and he would learn.

"The next room houses leader ours, ask you I must to enter having respect."

Juran got the general message, removed his helmet, and motioned for one man, his favorite archer, Behlor, to accompany him. The nameless creature stayed outside with the rest of Juran's men, and the captain of the king's armies took a breath and entered.

He didn't know what to expect, so the sight that met his eyes didn't exactly catch him off guard. The room was fairly large, also very plain, not decorated or fancy as the throne room at Hyrule castle was. Still, this room was artistic in it's own way, ominous in fact. There wasn't much that your eyes could wander to, save the good sized throne on the far side of the room. It was only common sense to assume that this was where the Dark Army's head was to be found. Sure enough, as they approached, what Juran saw amazed and frightened him.

In the throne sat a man. A man clothed in armor, much like his own, in fact extremely simliar. Juran expected that this leader wore this armor as a trophy of a Hylian captain he had killed. Still, something about it frightened him, and he didn't know why. Juran knelt respectively at the feet of this man, or at least what he assumed to be a man. He couldn't be certain, for the helmet that this being was wearing was a full helm, completely covering his face.

After waiting for some time, Juran decided that he should speak. It could be their custom for the messenger to speak first.

"Sire, I come before you today," He suddenly realized he hadn't the slightest clue what he was going to say. "I come before you today, to speak peacefully as an ambassador from Hyrule Castle." Expecting a respone, Goldhelm waited. The figure in the throne stayed perfectly still, sitting in an alert, noble position, but acted as it hadn't even heard Juran's statement.

"Sire?" Juran inquired, and still got no response. He suspected something wasn't right, and walked up to figure on the throne. It still showed no acknowledgement of Juran's presence. Becoming frustrated, Juran was tempted to raise his voice. Not wanting to incur the enemies wrath, he kept his voice calm. "Very well."

He turned to leave, but frustration overcame him, and he turned quickly back around, pulling the helmet off the man. What he saw made both he and Behlor reel back in horror.

The man seated on the throne was Juran Goldhelm.


End file.
